Light-Activated Switching Circuit for Battery-Free Standby
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing battery-powered electronic switching devices with powerless standby modes require additional auxiliary means for activation, such as infrared remote controls, which increase costs and complexity, and lack efficient battery management for prolonged storage.
Innovation Solution
The device is activated by a light signal generated from ambient lighting or a spectrally adjusted light source, using a photoreceiver and field effect transistor controlled by a microcontroller, allowing for irreversible activation and reset into standby mode without additional control inputs, ensuring battery preservation during storage.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If a battery-powered electronic switching device is activated using additional auxiliary means such as infrared remote controls, then the device can be activated remotely, but the cost and complexity of the device increases
Solution Approach 1:
The device uses ambient light from the environment (workplace lighting or spectrally adjusted light sources) to activate the photoreceiver, eliminating the need for separate remote controls or activation devices. The system serves itself by utilizing freely available light energy already present in the operating environment.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a photoreceiver as an intermediary component that converts ambient light into electrical signals to activate the field effect transistor. This intermediary enables remote activation without requiring direct mechanical contact or complex remote control systems.
2Reliability
If the device remains in active state for testing before delivery, then factory testing can be performed, but the battery discharges during storage
Solution Approach 1:
The device is designed to be activated only when needed for testing or operation, using ambient light as a trigger. After testing is complete, the device automatically returns to the powerless standby mode, preserving battery energy for long-term storage while maintaining the ability to be reactivated when required.
Solution Approach 2:
The device alternates between active testing/operation states and powerless standby modes. During storage, it remains in the standby state with minimal power consumption, and can be periodically activated by ambient light for testing or actual use.
3Reliability
If the device is hermetically sealed to protect internal components, then the device is more reliable, but battery replacement becomes impossible
Solution Approach 1:
The device is designed to last the entire battery life without requiring replacement. The battery is hermetically sealed inside the housing, and the device automatically returns to powerless standby mode after use, eliminating the need for future battery replacements or opening the sealed housing.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This solution enables cost-effective, easy-to-handle activation and battery preservation, allowing for factory testing without premature discharge, even during prolonged storage, while maintaining the benefits of a powerless standby mode in a hermetically sealed device.
Implementation Method 1
a light signal is generated from ambient lighting or a spectrally adjusted light source of sufficient intensity such as a flashlight or a smartphone
Data Source
AI summary
Battery-powered electronic switching device comprising a powerless standby mode, including a sensor, a controller, a battery and a wireless communication module, wherein the controller can be activated via a switching transistor connected to the battery, wherein the switching transistor for activation can be set into a conductive state upon impinging light on a photoreceiver, wherein the control terminal of the switching transistor is connected to the controller so that it can remain permanently conductive, wherein the photoreceiver comprises a cover, which is suitable for influencing the incidence of light, and the controller comprises means for switching off the switching transistor in order to set the electronic switching device after a successful test, in response to a control command or after a predetermined period of time into the powerless standby mode.